Currently, many types of gloves are made to be waterproof so rain or snow will not penetrate the glove to the hand while allowing water vapor (perspiration) to permeate out of the glove. These gloves are used for sports like skiing, snowboarding, motorcycle riding etc.
The most common method of manufacturing such a glove is to insert a glove-shaped cloth liner 2 into a glove-shaped waterproof membrane 4 (such as those membranes sold under the tradenames, GORETEX or AQUATEX etc.), and insert the membrane 4 into an outer glove-shaped shell 6, as illustrated in FIGS. 1a and 1b. The cloth glove liner 2 is for comfort and warmth and can include insulation. The outer shell 6 protects the membrane 4 and cloth liner 2 from wear and tear, and also provides a strong grip.
The difficulty of this method, however, is that the cloth liner 2, the waterproof membrane 4, and the shell 6 must be manufactured separately, and then carefully glued together to maintain the waterproof seal.
Gloves manufactured for activities in cold weather use a heavy, thick inner cloth liner filled with insulation. The thicker lining of these gloves makes it easier to provide a durable waterproof product because the thick lining helps protect the waterproof membrane from wear and tear.
Gloves manufactured for activities in warmer weather use little or no insulation. In fact, it is desired that the glove be very thin, lightweight, durable, and waterproof. In such a glove, there is no insulation to protect the waterproof membrane from the stresses of use, including putting on or pulling off the glove from the hand.
There is a need for a strong, thin, durable, comfortable, waterproof glove liner that is resistant to the wearing and tearing of the waterproof membrane without using a thick cloth liner.
Sewing methods cannot effectively be utilized to completely solve the aforementioned problems because water will leak through the needle holes. Sealing tape has been used over sewing seams to maintain the waterproof qualities of gloves that are sewn together. The problem with sealing tape is that it is practically unworkable around the finger extensions due to the narrow widths of those extensions. Therefore, there is a need for a liner that minimizes the use of sewing seams and sealing tape, especially on the finger extensions.
Some gloves are made by having the thumb portion extend out on the same plane as the finger extensions. This reduces the amount of sewing or other attaching means necessary when making the glove liner because the liner can be made from just two flat pieces of material attached together. The problem with not extending the thumb portion outside the plane of the finger extensions is that such a liner does not line up well with the outer shell and is therefore not as comfortable. There is a need to provide for a thumb extension outside the plane of the finger extensions that is still waterproof and durable.
Relevant references that involve gloves, glove liners, and waterproof glove liners are: U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,726; U.S. Pat. No. 4,430,759; U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,841; U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,006; U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,257; U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,413; U.S. Pat. No. 4,741,052; U.S. Pat. No. 4,847,918; U.S. Pat. No. 5,123,119; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,038.